The Grandir Association wants to create an 'english group' in Castelnau Magnoac from October, 2009
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Discover

It is an initiativewhich includes techniques of mental concentration in state of physical relaxation: it leans on clean and original techniques mobilizing the body and the mental ( holistic technique).

A. CAYCEDO, its creator defines it today as:

'Science of the consciousness and the values of the existence'

On the way to Autonomy ...

The sophrology thanks to its three fundamental principles allows the person who practises it to acquire more autonomy and to be responsible for what she lives:

Principle of the body image as lived reality

Objective: acquire a better consciousness of its body to master better one even its health and general balance (thus, make more of preventive than curative)

Principle of positive action

Objective: acquire a better consciousness and control of its capacities in a positive relation in the past, present and future lived to be able to use them consciously and effectively

Principle of objective reality

Objective: acquire a better consciousness of its limits of action to have more available energy turned to what we can act

By the practice of the relaxation therapy, the person acquires gradually a better consciousness and masters:

Of her body
Of her feelings and their role
Of her capacity of adaptation and action
Of her values (what is important for her)

Considered originally as a medical science, the sophrology was born in Spain in 1960 in the head of the Professor Alfonso Caycedo (go to see his web site), Colombian neuropsychiatrist. Confronted professionally with the observation of modified states of consciousness and obliged to use violent therapeutic processes ('comas insuliniques', electric shock treatments without anesthesia), he wonders about the necessity of modifying or of altering so the consciousness in a therapeutic purpose.

He begins then studying the various disciplines working on the subject to enrich his research. (Among others, the psychology, the hypnosis and the relaxation)

In 1963, Alfonso CAYCEDO meets in Switzerland Ludwig BINSWANGER, father of the psychiatry phénoménologique. He applied the phénoménologique and existential approach in the study of it: Welcome spontaneously what lives, what 'is' as it is, by suspending any critical or analytical spirit and any judgment to concentrate only on the lived of the present experience. It is a new way of living things, except mentalisation, that we could qualify as 'knowledge by the lived'

Between 1965 and 1967, encouraged by L. Binswanger, and doubtless influenced by his wife Colette fascinated by Yoga, CAYCEDO goes in East.
In India, he meets the yoga, in the Tibet the Buddhist tradition, and finally in Japan, he learns about the Zen. He notices the importance of these various practices which place the body as the essential vector of opening of the consciousness In 1967, he returns in Europe and settles down in Barcelona to make the synthesis of all the influences to which he was subjected. It is there that is going to be born a new concept, that of the dynamic relaxation.

The sophrologue

Whatever are tackled issues, the objective of the sophrologue is to allow the person who appeals to him to be conscious and to master the mailmen which intervene in what she lives. For example, become aware of her capacity to relax, to master her feelings, to accept what she cannot change, know how to decide, dare, act …

All the art of the sophrologue is to accompany with empathy those who appeal to him in it

A sophrologue is not a psychotherapist: he is not authorized and formed to diagnose and set in charge of the pathological disorders. On the other hand, he can intervene in complement and often in association with the psychotherapist. That's why, a sophrologue doesn't try to interpret symptoms, felt, lived and is not interested in the unconscious.

He gives an initiative, exercises, among which each can wear out freely always by being the actor of his progress.

By means of positive visualizations and by leaning on the breath, it allows to develop a better knowledge and a self-control.

Concrete example:

'Sophro Mnésie': in sat or lengthened posture, the person is invited to remember herself a past situation where she trusted her to be connected in the sensations and be able to learn, during the following session, to mobilize them for getting ready for a future situation (examination, for example).

Other examples:

'Sophro Déplacement du Négatif' to free the body of the useless tensions which accumulate (to protect her health).

Specific methodology aiming at the development of the quality of consciousness in the relation at the body (listening of the body, image of one, relation in time and in the space, existential values) Session typify

The sessions (individual or collective) contain 3 phases

One phase of exchange allowing all those who wish it to express their lived of the exercises. It is also a time dedicated to reminders, questions-answers for a better understanding and an integration of the experience.

A phase of physical exercises: it is essentially the practice of the first four degrees of the dynamic relaxation. The exercises are guided by a speech of accompaniment of the sophrologue which can propose various movements and positions (lengthened, sat or standing) without ever imposing them: the important is to feel well.

A phase of relaxation in the form of visualization: they are the static techniques chosen according to the objectives of the session. We can also use the tales, the music or still the writing.A sophrologique practice always takes place in 3 stages

Physical and mental relaxation (basic sophronisation ) allowing to reach the level sophroliminal* and to integrate better the technique which is going to follow
Practice of a static or dynamic technique with break of integration to remember the benefactions of the technique in the body

Return at the level of consciousness 'usual' with stretchings, ( désophronisation )

* sophrology is practised in a level of consciousness particular conscript the sophroliminal level (just level at the edge of the sleep or the level alpha) which allows at the same moment an attitude of reception, release taken and a better integration of techniques and experiences(experiments) lived during the session.

Notion of training and repetition

Wathever the objective or the used technique, it is the repetition of the sessions that's going to make the efficiency of the technique.

The sophrology is particularly adapted to a practice in group.
Indeed, the dynamic of the group, the exchanges, the lived of the other participants, make that a practice in group is often more effective than individual sessions.

Thematic Workshops

The peculiarity of the association is to propose thematic workshops which allow to combine persons around a subject which is common to them:

Management of the stress 1
Management of the stress 2
Self-confidence
Values of life
Other subjects (sophroludique, maternity, examinations, tobacco, weight,...)

Wishing to propose a quality step, the groups are limited in number of persons and constitute from the starting up of the workshop to evolve together. This last point is essential to facilitate the dynamics of group and allow a faster evolution.

Individuals sessions

Of a duration of one hour, the individual sessions are indicated when a person wishes to work specific points or when she does not feel relaxed in the contact of the group. They are 'customized' because they require a constant adaptation to the evolution of the person.

Sophrology can be considered as a support in the lifestyle the events, as a dynamic tool to cross the stages and live the transformations.

The practice of sophrology allows to bring to each of the simple means to :

Protect its health, its vitality

develop its potential, its capacities of adaptation

improve its relation in the various aspects of its life as well as its relation in the others.

Some examples

Management of the sleep

Stimulation of the concentration and the memory

Phobias, anxiety

Management of the pain...

It revitalizes in a positive way, by an awareness, the qualities and the resources which we have. It privileges above all the lived experience and the autonomy. Indeed, the sophrologue suggests in each experimenting tools discovered in session to integrate them into its everyday life.

It can go as far as allowing to discover and to investigate another way of being in the world, another way of living in everyday life. The acquisition of this new 'know how to be' implies a transformation: release itself gradually from our mental representations, from our fantasies, from our settled ideas, from our conditionings, which show us the world and our existence in a way.

to be more effective in their professional, social and\or personal life.

And in more specific domains, sophrology is already very used by:

The sportsmen and the artists (dancers, comedians): improvement of the concentration, the breath, the use of the 'optimal stress', the management of the 'stage fright', the development of the motivation, the integration of the body image, the management of one against performance, technical improvement.

The students and all the pupils who in their context of learning mobilisente body, the emotionalism and the intellect. We take charge generally only of this last one. Wrongly. The physical and emotional constituents can neutralize appreciably the intellectual efforts.

The pregnant women who, beyond the preparation for the childbirth, can live completely this privileged period by managing effectively the numerous physical and psychological turnovers which accompany it.

The persons who want to stop smoking or losing weight who will find with sophrology an effective accompaniment for conscientiser their behavior addictif and to develop it in the long term.

It is also the children ( sophroludique ), the executives, the company managers, the old persons, the teachers that each at their level will find in sophrology of the means to enrich their quality of life and their radius of action.